Oct 19, 2009 10:14 pm US/Central
Kankakee Residents Concerned By Rash Of Shootings
KANKAKEE, Ill. (CBS) ―
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After seven shootings in three days, frustrated residents showed up at a community meeting in Kankakee to address the recent crimes.
CBS
It's been a nasty week in the far south suburbs: seven shootings in three days; one of them deadly. Now people in Kankakee want to make sure it stops. CBS 2's Kristyn Hartman reports that residents went to a meeting for concerned neighbors where officials said they have to nip the problem in the bud.
They also put things in perspective. They called the string of shootings unusual and targeted. They said six of the places gunman fired at were homes of known gang members. The seventh deadly shooting was the exception.
Her relative, Renee Harris said, "She didn't deserve it."
Violence found LaQuita Felton while she slept in her Kankakee home. A neighbor watched gunmen open fire on the place.
She heard the 'pop, pop, pop, pop,' and said, "I froze. I got scared. I thought about my family."
To protect them, she asked for anonymity because she didn't want to pay for what she told us.
She says she thinks the man who lived with the pregnant mother of a toddler was into some kind of criminal activity. Police won't confirm that.
LaQuita's aunt blames Chicago.
"When they shut he projects down, they knew what they were doing. Now they come out here and the crime is getting bad," said Rita Simmons.
The shooting that killed LaQuita was the last of seven over three days.
Alderman Cheryl Jones said, "The majority is in my ward, all but two. It puts me on fear."
She and frustrated residents showed up at a community meeting to address the crime.
Cornell Jones was the victim of a broad daylight beating that cost him a tooth.
"I have a gap. My teeth shifted up and over," Jones said.
He and everyone else had questions about controlling the crime.
People asked about gang activity, and how they could help.
The Kankakee city attorney said, "What is involved here is going to involve all of you who are the residents of neighborhoods affected."
Translation: Home owners need to be on the lookout and willing to report behavior that could escalate.
The message: Action just might prevent pain.
Police are also putting extra patrols on the streets. They're looking for who killed LaQuita, and they arrested four people for weapons violations in connection with the other shootings.
They're moving to force them out of their homes by citing them for police and code violations.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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